Headed to my neighbor's pond this evening to do some topwater fishing since it was raining/low light conditions...I started off buzzing a speed craw weightless and landed lots of dinks as usual all around 12". Then I switched to a culprit incredicraw texas rigged with a 3/16oz weight and started following the bank pitching it up next to bushes and brush. I got up to where the creek feeds into the pond through a pipe, which was flowing pretty well because of the rain, and pitched right up in the current. When I tightened my line up, it was moving towards me at a pretty good speed, so I cranked down and swung, immediately realizing I had a good fish. I managed to keep her out of the sunken tree she was trying to get into and bring her in the canoe. The fish taped out at exactly 22", my 2nd citation this year. I took a quick photo and turned her loose. I sure am happy that I got in a little fishing time before the monsoon hits, we are supposed to get 3-4" of rain tonight and everything will be chocolate colored by this time tomorrow!

 

good looking fish!!

Great looking chunk. All of the biggest bass Iv caught this year have come from drains washing water into the ponds. Heavy rains have been the easiest way to catch 4+ pound fish so far!

Great looking chunk. All of the biggest bass Iv caught this year have come from drains washing water into the ponds. Heavy rains have been the easiest way to catch 4+ pound fish so far!

The main problem that I run into is water clarity. If I'm not there within 3-4 hours of a downpour, the water is 100% bright orange/red clay colored with zero visibility. Always takes 2-3 days for the pond to get back into fishable conditions, even then it's big black&blue plastics and jigs fished slow, it's the only thing they can find.

The main problem that I run into is water clarity. If I'm not there within 3-4 hours of a downpour, the water is 100% bright orange/red clay colored with zero visibility. Always takes 2-3 days for the pond to get back into fishable conditions, even then it's big black&blue plastics and jigs fished slow, it's the only thing they can find.

 

Yea, thats sorta crappy, but you may be surprised. Here in NC it poured down allllll day long while I was at work. As soon as I got off, I went and hit the drains. Water was nothing less than chocolate milk. I was throwing a tiny 5/16 oz black/blue jig and rage chunk. I didnt expect much, but I hooked into two 1# fish, and a 4-5# fish.. Granted the bigger one threw my hook, but they were still after that jig.